Seeing Cannes Through a Completely Different Lens

After a historic spring, Klick Health’s CCO, Rich Levy , took time to smell the rosés.

I’ll admit it—I can be a hyper-competitive person. In the past, my mindset going into the festival was that there was winning and losing and very little in between. But this year, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity , I had a very different point of view.

After a historic few months—during which we won more than 135 major awards, including being named the first health agency to ever be named an Agency of the Year by The One Show and New York Festivals, as well as Independent Agency of the Year by Clio Healths and Lisbon Health Festival—I felt at ease going into Cannes. Our work was strong across the board. I’m extremely proud of the client campaigns we entered. Difficult categories like cardiovascular health, oncology, eczema, HPV, rare diseases, and joint replacement had incredible campaigns that are performing very well in market. Our pro bono work has also raised a lot of awareness and funds for important causes. So whether the juries found them worthy of a Lion was less important than whether our clients found them worthy of their brands.

For someone as competitive as me, I wasn’t feeling the pressure to win.

I even allowed myself to take a day off from the festival. To enjoy time with my team. Have a spectacular lunch. Jump in the sea. Laugh, cry, hug, and appreciate each other for all the hard work. 

This lack of pressure also allowed me to fully enjoy the festival. To be inspired. To not feel jealous of the winning ideas but to truly appreciate them as brilliant solutions to complex problems.

My Top Five Favorite Campaigns (in no particular order)

AXA – “Three Words” – Publicis Conseil , Paris Like everyone else at the festival, I fell in love with this Titanium Grand Prix-winning campaign for the French insurance company. It had the best of all worlds: a brand campaign tackling a huge, emotional issue—spousal abuse in the home. The simplicity of the idea, adding three words (“and domestic violence”) to their insurance policies—took my breath away. Great job, Publicis.

Tracking Bad Bunny – Rimas Music and DDB Latina Puerto Rico When the case film opened with a cringeworthy joke about Puerto Rico, I had a feeling it was going to be something special. And it was. Each track from Bad Bunny became a tribute to the island—turning what could’ve been a punchline into something powerful and heartfelt. Yes, I wish I’d come up with this idea.

Burger King – “Bundles of Joy” – BBH London I was walking through the stacks of work in the basement with a few women when we happened upon this campaign. “Oh my God—this is so true,” one exclaimed. The campaign captured women just after childbirth, eating a Burger King meal. The headline? “Arrived at 15:29.” Was it the baby or the meal? It didn’t matter. It was brilliant.

Lucky Yatra – Indian Railways – FCB India When you are a multiple Grand Prix winner, you’ve done something extraordinary. This campaign found a solution to a problem hidden in plain sight—turning railway tickets into lottery tickets to increase sales. It's the kind of idea that comes along once in a blue moon and takes the world by storm. Huge kudos to FCB India. Solving a client problem and winning awards? That’s like hitting the jackpot.

Gulf of Mexico – Tecate – LePub | Mexico City You know you’re watching something special when the audience starts clapping before the case film even ends. I saw this one multiple times, and every single time I laughed and wanted to watch it again. If you haven’t seen it, I don’t want to spoil it, just find it and watch. It’s that good.

There were many other ideas I loved: Axe’s “Scratch & Sniff,” ITV ’s “Missed Birthdays,” “The Best Place on Earth to Have Herpes” from New Zealand, “The Count” for The Hospital for Sick Children , and so many more.

And yes, we won multiple Lions for our work: The Trial, 18 Months, and Love, Captured,  bringing our 2025 trophy tally to 141 and counting. Check them out—I hope you enjoy them as much as our team did creating them.

As for me, if this year’s Cannes Lions taught me anything, it’s that when you stop thinking about your own work, you can truly appreciate the brilliance of others. Congratulations to the festival organizers and all the participants and speakers who contributed to an amazing event. But mostly, thank you to our team, who inspire me every week. 

Rich Levy has made his mark on healthcare advertising for almost two decades. As one of the most-awarded creative leaders in healthcare, Rich has led Klick Health to unprecedented creative success. In the last month alone, Klick made history by becoming the first health agency to ever be ranked as ‘Agency of the Year’ by both The One Show and New York Festivals Advertising Awards. Lisbon Ad Health also named Klick ‘Independent Agency of the Year’, as was Clio Health for the third straight year. In 2024, Klick won over 140 top creative honors, including the coveted Cannes Lions Innovation Grand Prix, and eight agency distinctions from the most respected advertising awards shows.